I’m sensing there are fair amount of people who are skeptical of Matt Ryan’s fast start.

That’s somewhat understandable because, in the past, Ryan has had times when he’s been very good and other times when he hasn’t.

It’s only four games into the season, but let’s put what Ryan’s done so far into some sort of perspective.

Since 2008, Ryan is one of 11 starting quarterbacks to open a season 4-0. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Ryan’s numbers put him in some very elite territory.

Ryan has posted an 80.0 Total QBR. The only quarterbacks to start 4-0 with a better Total QBR are Eli Manning (91.6) in 2009 and 87.3 in 2008, Aaron Rodgers (87.3) in 2011 and Peyton Manning (84.4) in 2009.

Of the 11 quarterbacks to start 4-0 since 2008, only three have thrown for more than 10 touchdowns. Ryan is one of them, with 11.

There’s been a growing buzz about Ryan being an MVP candidate and maybe even the Falcons winning the Super Bowl. I think we’ve got to wait to see how the Falcons perform in the postseason. But I think it’s fair to mention him as an MVP candidate. Look at the guys I listed above. They’ve come up in past MVP conversations and Ryan is playing as well as they were.